Page 86 - Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an
P. 86
Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an
Iron is one of the elements highlighted in the Qur'an. In Surat al-
Hadid, meaning "iron," we are informed:
And We also sent down iron in which there lies great force and which
has many uses for mankind… (Qur'an, 57:25)
The word "anzalnaa," translated as "We sent down" and used for
iron in the verse, could be thought of having a metaphorical meaning
to explain that iron has been given to benefit people. But, when we take
into consideration the literal meaning of the word, which is, "being
physically sent down from the sky," as in the case of rain and Sun rays,
we realize that this verse implies a very significant scientific miracle.
Because, modern astronomical findings have disclosed that the iron
found in our world has come from giant stars in outer space. 39
Not only the iron on Earth, but also the iron in the entire Solar
System, comes from outer space, since the temperature in the Sun is
inadequate for the formation of iron. The Sun has a surface temperature
of 6,000 degrees Celsius (11,000 F), and a core temperature of approxi-
o
mately 20 million degrees (36 million degrees Fahrenheit). Iron can
only be produced in much larger stars than the Sun, where the temper-
ature reaches a few hundred million degrees. When the amount of iron
exceeds a certain level in a star, the star can no longer accommodate it,
and it eventually explodes in what is called a "nova" or a "supernova."
These explosions make it possible for iron to be given off into space. 40
One scientific source provides the following information on this
subject:
There is also evidence for older supernova events: Enhanced levels of
iron-60 in deep-sea sediments have been interpreted as indications that a
supernova explosion occurred within 90 light-years of the sun about 5
million years ago. Iron-60 is a radioactive isotope of iron, formed in
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